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Searching for Halls Mills information
Halls Mills Covered Bridge is almost the only surviving piece of what was once Halls Mills town. It seems to have disappeared from history. There are many unanswered questions surrounding the community. It was important enough to have a post office. Who established it? Who lived there? How many townspeople? What employment was available? Where did the town go?
One source informs us that the town was formed in 1839. A map from 1875 shows that it had a schoolhouse and a mill. In 1877 a post office was established, but in 1894 it was discontinued for a reason that is not known. The sources available are very limited.
If anyone has any information at all about Halls Mills please contact Nicola Price who is a history research assistant at the Time and the Valleys Museum for the summer.
NEW CD IS A LOCAL PRODUCT; VOICES, COVER DESIGN
& FRONT COVER QUOTATION
The new “Voices from the Valleys” CD is truly a product of the Tri Valley area. In addition to the voices of local people interviewed; the cover design was created by Margaret Dunlap Helthaler, who is working in both the graphic and fine arts from her Grahamsville area studio. Margaret and her mother are both Tri-Valley Central School graduates and Margaret’s grandmother was the late Evelyn Sheley. The front cover quotation comes from a poem by the late Evelyn Hill Huntsberger titled “The Cool Green Mountain” and was printed in “The Alchemist V” published in 1976. Evelyn Huntsberger is remembered by the many students who knew her while she taught in local one-room schools or when she later served as secretary to Eugene Ross at Tri-Valley Central School. The quotation reads “And I alone will remember it – The little lost valley lying in ghostly silence Beneath the shining waters.”
Listen to the story of life as it was in the five lost communities of Bittersweet, Neversink, Eureka, Montela and Lackawack. Eleven residents of these areas, who grew up in the 1920’s, 30’s and 40’s, tell this story. Get a glimpse of what life was like in the old days. The Rondout and Neversink Valleys are filled with water now but the memories of life “before the water” live on. They are shared for all to listen to in this new CD that is a project of Time and the Valleys Museum.
Those interviewed about the Neversink valley and the communities of Bittersweet and Neversink are: Leo Bertholf, brothers Bruce and Jack Denman, Raymond Muthig and Amy Osterhout Garber. Memories of the Rondout Valley and the lost communities of Montela, Eureka and Lackawack are shared by: Carl Carlsen, Marie Gorton Dean, Clara Knight Smith, Raymond Hornbeck and Margaret Smith Dolan.
“Voices from the Valleys” was aired in its entirety (59 minutes) on Public Radio WJFF in Jeffersonville, NY on July 16th, 2007. The station received a number of favorable listener comments in the form of telephone calls, emails, etc. A “Voice box” comment praising the program was aired the following week on WJFF’s Voice box (listener feedback) segment.
The fishing and swimming stories (approx. 5 minutes) were played as part of a “Third Coast International Audio Festival listening session” on June 14, 2007. The piece was heard and critiqued favorably by a group of about 40 listeners. The Third Coast Audio Festival is based in Chicago and is associated with WBEZ Chicago Public Radio (thirdcoastaudio.org).
This project was made possible in part by a Sullivan County Arts and Heritage Grant funded by the Sullivan County Legislature and in part by an anonymous donor.
To obtain a copy, stop in at Neversink Town Hall, Grahamsville during normal business hours or order by mail from: Time and the Valleys Museum, POBox 307, Grahamsville, NY 12740. Checks should be made payable to Time and the Valleys Museum. Regular price is $12.50 plus $2.50 for mailing. Charter museum member price is $11.00 plus $2.50 mailing. For additional information or to find out how to become a charter museum member call 845-985-2262 x313 or e-mail historian@townofneversink.org
The Town of Neversink came into formal existence by an act of the Ulster County Legislature dated March 16, 1798. It’s first supervisor, Henry Reynolds, was appointed by that same legislature. Prior to that time, early Neversink or “Neversink Country” as it was sometimes known was part of the Town of Rochester, Ulster County. It was 1809 when Neversink became part of the newly created Sullivan County. In 1809 Neversink included part of Denning, Fremont, Callicoon, Liberty, Fallsburg and all of Rockland townships. In a short period of time, other legislative acts changed property lines and the present boundaries of the Town of Neversink were established.
Historical research is often made difficult because the Town of Neversink moved from one county to another and the boundaries kept changing. Official records may be found in Ulster County until 1814. Only then do records show up in Sullivan County.
The derivation of the word Neversink remains uncertain. Present research says the word Neversink came from the Indian name Mahackamack. Earlier historians failed to agree on this and many other possibilities exist.
Historical research is also complicated by the taking of the land by eminent domain for two New York City reservoirs. The Neversink Reservoir is totally in the Town of Neversink. The two communities of Neversink and Bittersweet were lost at that time. The village of Neversink relocated to it’s present site along Route 55. The Rondout Reservoir waters covers three lost communities. Town of Neversink lost Eureka and part of Montela. The other section of Montela and the community of Lackawack were located in the Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County.
Bittersweet – Post office established 12/24/1915 – Discontinued 7/23/1920 – First postmaster Henry J. Sackett. There was a one-room school there. Presumed that name came because of an abundance of the climbing plant by the name of Bittersweet. Residents relocated and the waters of the Neversink Reservoir cover the original site.
Claryville – Post office established 4/26/1850 – still in operation. First postmaster John Reynolds. One-room school. Two churches were built – one Methodist, one Dutch Reformed. Cemetery and Reformed Church are still in use.
Curry – Post office established 5/18/1894 – discontinued 7/19/1963. First postmaster Daniel P. Wright. Prior to that on 5/21/1890 a post office was established called Curry’s with Higby M. Curry as postmaster. Curry’s was discontinued 5/18/1894.
Eureka – Post office established 4/24/1869. Discontinued 10/31/1942. First postmaster was Joseph C. Porter. There was a one-room school there. Residents relocated and the waters of the Rondout Reservoir cover the original site.
Grahamsville – Post office established 8/22/1828. Samuel Burton was the first postmaster. Recent research reports that Samuel Burton was the first owner of record of the house shown on the 1875 map as belonging to LaMoree. Is it possible that the first post office was located in that house? Two-room school at Grahamsville.
Unionville – No post office. Quaker Meeting House built in 1838 was located in Unionville. Unionville was also the site of a church called the “tabernacle”. Little is known of this church.
Neversink – Post office established 4/25/1828. Richard D. Childs first postmaster. Community of Neversink was relocated to it’s present site along Route 55. The waters of the Neversink Reservoir cover the original location. Neversink was also known on some maps and referred to as Neversink Flats. There was a two-room school.
Willowemoc – Post office established 1/06/1871. Matthew Decker was first postmaster. Post office discontinued 6/30/1945.
Hall’s Mills – Post office established 10/09/1877 with James Decker as first postmaster. Name changed to Hall Mills in 7/27/1893 with George R. Teller as postmaster. Post office discontinued in 12/31/1894. Historic covered bridge located there.
Low’s Corner – Post office established 5/4/1850 with Abraham B. Low as first postmaster. Post office discontinued 7/8/1856.
Montela – Post office established 1886. Located in Frank Dixon’s Store. Presume he was first postmaster. Post office discontinued 1946. Waters of the Rondout Reservoir cover the original site. Montela located part in Town of Neversink, Sullivan County and part in Town of Wawarsing, Ulster County.
For further information about Town of Neversink history, call Historian Carol Smythe at 845-985-2262 x313, write her at PO Box 307, Grahamsville, NY 12740 or e-mail her at historian@townofneversink.org.
Copyright © 2006, Town of Neversink.
All Rights Reserved.
